Cast: James McAvoy (Wesley Gibson), Morgan Freeman (Sloan), Angelina Jolie (Fox)
For complete info, see IMDb's Wanted page.
I was bummed that I didn't get around to seeing Wanted in a theatre, but the special effects weren't quite as impressive as I'd expected from the previews. The cast is great and it's a good story. The idea of a guy who works in an office and is sick of his life finding out that he's the son of an assassin and has the same skill with special killing abilities really interested me and I think they did a good job with the story.
Grade: B
Labels: 2008, action, Angelina Jolie, crime, drama, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Heath Ledger (The Joker), Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two-Face), Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Dark Knight page.
This movie is as good as everyone else is saying it is. Go see The Dark Knight (preferably in IMAX, so it takes over almost your entire field of vision) in a theatre! I thought the switch back and forth between the scenes filmed for IMAX (which take up the entire IMAX screen) and the rest of the movie. Due to the fact that the film was very well remastered for the IMAX screen, the difference is not as drastic as it would seem and most of the scenes that were filmed in IMAX are the scenic skylines, Batman flying in, etc. Fortunately, a couple fight scenes and the one big chase scene were also filmed in IMAX and those are amazing!
I've heard a lot of people talking about Heath Ledger getting the Oscar this year and I can definitely see why he would. So far, I haven't seen a performance I'd rank higher this year. I don't see as many movies in a theatre as I used to see, but I do still rent a lot of movies. One of my friends argued that he didn't think Heath Ledger should win, since he's dead. Although I don't think the fact that he's dead should increase his chances of winning, if Ledger had the best acting performance of the year, he deserves the Oscar. Can you imagine anyone wanting to win the award this year if they didn't actually do a better job than Ledger? They'd always be thought of as the one who won the Oscar, since Heath was dead. That makes no sense to me. Award the best performance whether the person is alive or not at the time of the awards ceremony.
The costumes, makeup, scenic design, orchestrations, acting, ... are all wonderful. I'm sure if you love Batman you've already seen The Dark Knight at least once, but if you've somehow missed it, go see it now. It's great!
There are also many amazingly funny lines in The Dark Knight, which I won't ruin for you. Enjoy!
Grade: A
Labels: 2008, Aaron Eckhart, action, Christian Bale, comics, crime, drama, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Morgan Freeman (Frank Carden), John Cusack (Ray Keene), Jamie Anderson (Chris Keene)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Contract page.
The cast of The Contract is great. That's probably why I expected more from this movie. They call it a thriller, but I definitely wouldn't go that far. Perhaps at times it was a bit suspenseful, but it was definitely not a thriller.
I'm glad I only watched this on my computer through Netflix, rather than bothering to even get the disc at home. If you're bored one night and you've watched most of the other things you wanted to see in the Netflix watch instantly section, you might want to watch this. I did finish the movie, so it definitely could have been worse, but I wouldn't recommend The Contract in spite of the cast.
The story was pretty boring and nothing exciting really happened.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2007, crime, drama, John Cusack, Morgan Freeman, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Josh Hartnett (Slevin Kelevra), Bruce Willis (Goodkat), Lucy Liu (Lindsey), Morgan Freeman (The Boss), Ben Kingsley (The Rabbi)
For complete information on this amazing cast, see IMDb's Lucky Number Slevin page.
Although Lucky Number Slevin probably annoyed some people by being too complex or not seeming to fit together well, I thought they did a great job of pulling all the plot lines together at the end. They showed you how every character tied together with the rest of the movie and it was beautifully done.
The cast is amazing. The story is intricate and kept me interested throughout the movie. There are some decent action scenes, there are some good plot twists. In spite of the critics' reviews, I would definitely recommend this movie. Lucky Number Slevin entertained me and kept me paying attention. Of course, most of the people in the movie can pick almost any project they want, so it makes sense that Lucky Number Slevin is a very good movie.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2006, Ben Kingsley, crime, drama, Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman, movie, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Morgan Freeman (Narrator, US version), Emperor penguins
For complete information, see IMDb's La Marche de l'empereur page.
If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I would be moved by a movie about a bunch of penguins, I would have told them they were nuts. I've always loved animals and enjoyed documentaries on many species, but I was never terribly moved by them. And, I would have never recommended them to anyone who didn't like to watch the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet randomly at times.
March of the Penguins is different somehow. I think it's a combination of the fact that they follow the penguins through an entire breeding season and Morgan Freeman's voice. The two together make for an amazing movie. The cinematography in March of the Penguins is truly amazing. I was so involved in the story (yes, there is a story) that I actually cried at one point. I was so moved.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2005, documentary, family, Morgan Freeman, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Clint Eastwood (Frankie Dunn), Hilary Swank (Maggie Fitzgerald), Morgan Freeman (Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Million Dollar Baby page.
As someone who hates boxing, I wasn't looking forward to seeing Million Dollar Baby in spite of the great previews and everyone saying it's a great movie. Surprisingly enough, Clint Eastwood directed Million Dollar Baby in such a way that I absolutely loved it, in spite of the boxing. Heck, he got me to care about boxing for a couple hours, which is a minor miracle.
The cast and directing is absolutely amazing. The story is moving. What more can you ask for in a movie? I haven't seen all the nominees, but so far this has my vote for best picture.
Grade: A+
Labels: 2004, Best Picture, Clint Eastwood, drama, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, movie, sports
Reviewed by Kat at the 3:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Ben Affleck (Jack Ryan), Morgan Freeman (DCI William Cabot), James Cromwell (President Robert 'Bob' Fowler), Liev Schreiber (John Clark)
For complete cast, see IMDb's The Sum of All Fears page.
I really enjoyed this movie. I haven't read any of the books, but I always enjoy Jack Ryan on film. The only real issue I had with this movie was my own, not anything to do with the film. That problem is that it all seemed a bit too real. The special effects were very well done and the situations were very plausible. With 9/11 happening only 9 months before I saw The Sum of All Fears, it just got me thinking of all the people who died in that tragedy. This is actually a good statement about the movie, though. It was so well done that it looked very real.
The cast, special effects, and story are wonderful and I definitely recommend the latest in the Jack Ryan movies.
Grade: B
Labels: 2002, action, Ben Affleck, drama, Liev Schreiber, Morgan Freeman, movie, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Morgan Freeman (Charlie), Renee Zellweger (Betty Sizemore), Greg Kinnear (Dr. David Ravell/George McCord), Chris Rock (Wesley)
For complete info, see IMDb's Nurse Betty page.
As someone who was raised on General Hospital and has always been fond of soaps, I thought the idea of this movie was priceless. I've heard so many stories about women believing that daytime characters are real and could really see someone going over the edge the way Betty does and taking it to the extreme. Betty goes through a terribly traumatic experience and goes off the deep end. Very entertaining.
There were definitely some problems with the script and it was a bit too dark at points, but I found it interesting. Chris Rock has always annoyed me, so that was probably the biggest down side of the movie for me.
Not the best movie, but if you've liked soap operas (or even if you think the idea of a woman believing they're real is funny), I think this is worth the rental.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2000, comedy, crime, drama, Greg Kinnear, Morgan Freeman, movie, Renee Zellweger, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 5:55 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Morgan Freeman (Theodore Joadson), Nigel Hawthorne (Martin Van Buren), Anthony Hopkins (John Quincy Adams), Djimon Hounsou (Cinque), Matthew McConaughey (Baldwin)
For complete info, see IMDb's Amistad page.
Amistad is an amazing historical drama about a mutiny aboard a slave ship traveling to America. A lot of Amistad takes place in the court room, following the trial of Cinque, the free-man who led the revolt (brilliantly portrayed by Djimon Hounsou. The cast, scenic design, lighting, and costumes are brilliant in Amistad. Steven Spielberg goes back to a more serious movie with this adventure and it's wonderfully done. I highly recommend Amistad! If you haven't seen it yet, you must rent it.
Grade: A-
Labels: 1997, Anthony Rapp, drama, history, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman, movie, mystery
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Morgan Freeman (Dr. Alex Cross), Ashley Judd (Dr. Kate McTiernan), Cary Elwes (Det. Nick Ruskin), Alex McArthur (Det. Davey Sikes)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Kiss the Girls page.
This story about a woman who escapes a serial killer and then works with the police to help find the killer is very well done. The music and sound effects are as wonderful as the cast. The suspense is really increased by the proper sound. The cast is wonderful and this movie is worth seeing. I thought so when I originally saw it and I still believe it when I watched it on HBO recently. It's not quite as suspenseful as it was the first time I saw it, but after seeing a movie a few times, that will happen. I still recommend renting this one to check it out.
Grade: B
Labels: 1997, Cary Elwes, crime, drama, Morgan Freeman, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:15 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kevin Costner (Robin of Locksley), Morgan Freeman (Azeem), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Marian Dubois), Christian Slater (Will Scarlett), Alan Rickman (Sheriff of Nottingham)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves page.
I've always liked the story of a man who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor and although it's definitely overly romantic and a bit too sappy, this is my favorite telling of the story so far. I've never been a Kevin Costner fan, but I enjoy this movie in spite of him. The costumes, sets, music, story, cast, etc. are wonderful and the fantasy is fully realized in this romantic drama with some great comic moments thrown in for good measure.
Robin Hood and his Maid Marian have been one of my favorite love stories and this telling of the story really captures the love and romance along with the adventure of getting there.
Grade: A-
Labels: 1991, action, adventure, Christian Slater, drama, Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:50 AM show | 0 screams